Dust mop cleaner



July 12, 1955 L. G. COPEMAN DUST MOP CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

1 22.72 9/ ATTORNEY.

Fil'ed Nov. 17, 1950 l S x M;

July 12, 1955 COPEMAN 2,712,666

DUST MOP CLEANER Filed Nov. 1'7, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Zzorp 6. COP'MA/V U ed St e a o."

DUST MOP CLEANER Lloyd G. Copeman, Metamora, Mich., assignor to Copeman Laboratories Company, Flint, Mich a corporation of Michigan Application November 17, 1950, Serial No. 196,328

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-142) This invention relates to a dust mop cleaner.

It is well known that in the use of dust mops in house cleaning it is necessary to remove the dirt therefrom by some manner of shaking. Housewives are accustomed to projecting the mop through a window and shaking it vigorously to remove the dust and lint which is collected thereon. in cities where dwelling houses are located close together and where many people live in apartments, this shaking of dust mops through the window causes inconvenience to other persons dwelling nearby. In some cases, ordinances have been passed forbidding this manner of cleaning dust mops.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for cleaning dust mops which obviates the necessity of shaking the mop out of a window and which permits the dirt from the mop to be confined in a receptacle which is easily emptied.

Other features and objects of the invention having to do with details of construction of the device and of the operation will be further brought out in the following description and claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the dust mop cleaner illustrating its relationship to the mop when in use.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the cleaner members which is to be located within the receptacle.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the lines 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the cover member for the receptacle.

Figs. 5 and 6 are sections taken on the lines 5-5 and 66 of Fig. 1, respectively.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section of a modified form of cleaning member to be used with the receptacle.

Fig. 8 is a vertical partial section of another modified form of cleaning member.

Fig. 9 is a section taken on the lines 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the cleaning member which is shown in section in Fig. 8.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 6 consists gen: erally of an octagonal receptacle 11 with a similarly shaped cover 12, the receptacle having a closed bottom 13. The cover 12 is provided with an opening 14 which is substantially enclosed by a member 15. This member 15 consists preferably of a flexible rubber piece which has a central longitudinal split 16 and a central hole 17. The split 16 extends substantially across the cover. The bottom view of the cover shown in Fig. 4 illustrates the manner in which the flexible piece is fastened to the cover at the margins of the hole 14. This is preferably accomplished by a strip 18 which extends around the margins of the hole 17 and which is fastened thereto.

Within the receptacle 11 are means positioned intermediate the side walls thereof and contacting the dust 2,712,566 Patented July 12, 1955 mop to free the same from dust. One embodiment of these means, which may be called cleaning members,.

is shown in Fig. 2. In this embodiment the means consists of a substantially rectangular frame 19 (see Figs. 5 and 6), each of which are provided with parallel and horizontal bars 20. The frames are arranged to reinforce the receptacle in that they extend from one end to the other in contact with the ends so that the bars 20 and the frames define a rectangular enclosure within the box which is spaced from the side walls thereof.

The manner of operation of the device will be clear from Fig. 6. The head 21 of the dust mop is projected into the receptacle through the split member 15 and the handle of the mop passes through the hole 17 so that after the head of the dust mop is in the box, the box will be substantially closed. The mop is then moved up and down so that the head 21 will be contacted by the cleaning units formed by the frame 19 and the parallel members 20. This will loosen the dust and cause it to fall to the bottom of the receptacle Where it will collect at the sides of the receptacle because of the manner in which it is freed from the mop. The mop may either be left in the receptacle when not in use or it may be removed after it has been cleaned. When a certain amount of dirt or lint has been collected in the box, it may be conveniently emptied. In the embodiment shown the frames 19 of the cleaning units are held in the box by the embossed formation shown at 22, in Fig. 3. The vertical portions of the frames 19 snap into these embossed recesses and are held therein in a manner to reinforce the entire box construction. In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the frames 19 are the same as shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6. The horizontal bars 20, however, are not mounted directly on the frame but are mounted on substantially vertical resilient members 23 which are fastened at the top to the frames 19. These resilient members 23 are normally flexed into the enclosure defined by the frames so that as the dust mop enters the receptacle it will meet the bars on the resilient members and spread them apart. There will thus be a resilient force against the head of the dust mop as it passes up and down and the cleaning will be more thorough.

In the third modification shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the cleaning unit 19 has the same frame and the same bars 20 which may be mounted resiliently as shown in Fig. 7, or as desired. Along the lower portion of the frame, however, is a plate 24 which extends across the frame and which operates as shown in Fig. 8 to retain the dirt, from the mop, between the plate 24 and the side of the box 11.

It is usually desirable to provide some device to permit convenient lifting of the receptacle. In Fig. 6 I have shown holes 25 in opposite sides of the box arranged so that the fingers may be inserted in the holes to permit lifting of the box. These holes are normally covered by flaps 26. In Fig. 7 I have shown these holes covered by resilient rubber pieces 27 which may be pressed in when the box is lifted.

It will be seen that other cover designs may be used if they are desired. For example, two sides of the cover might be permanently fastened and the central portion hinged to one of the sides to permit opening.

I claim:

A dust mop cleaner which comprises a thin-walled box having a bottom and a top shaped octagonally and vertical side walls extending upwardly from said bottom confined between vertical edges of a rim surrounding frame members extending in parallel relation between the edges of two opposed, vertical walls of the box, said Walls being recessed to retain said frames, and means for cleaning a mop which is vertically reciprocated in said box comprising spaced, horizontal members mounted on said frames and extending transversely across the box to define an enclQsure centrally of the. box, for receiving, said dust mop.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Anderegg Apr. 27, 1926 Well Mar. 10, 1931 5 Powell May 5, 1931 Grimes Mar. 15, 1932 Goldberg et a1. Sept. 4, 1951 

